Page 19 - Climate Control News magazine February 2022

Indoor Air Quality
Partnership aims to reduce rates of respiratory illness
JOHNSON CONTROLS HAS partnered with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) in a bid to improve health outcomes for families managing asthma and allergies by rais- ing awareness of the connection between indoor air quality and health.
Johnson Controls president of global services, Ganesh Ramaswamy, said well managed indoor environments are critical for the health and well- being of the asthma and allergy community.
“HEALTHY AIR IN INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WAYS TO PREVENT ASTHMA ATTACKS.”
“We’re proud to bring the latest in smart, con- nected technology, along with more than 135 years of experience in healthy buildings to ad- vance research and accelerate advocacy to help everyone indoors feel comfortable and produc- tive," Ramaswamy said.
As many as 25 million Americans suffer from asthma. It is one of the country's most common
and costly diseases, affecting about eight per cent of adults and 7 per cent of children.
There is no cure for asthma, but it can be man- aged with a combination of asthma medication treatments and by reducing or avoiding expo- sure to things that can trigger asthma attacks.
Healthy indoor environments are a key part of asthma management.
AAPA CEO and president, Kenneth Mendez, said the organisation’s mission is to save lives and reduce the burden of disease for people with allergies and asthma.
“We appreciate that Johnson Controls under- stands that clean, healthy air in indoor environ- ments is one of the most important ways to reduce and prevent asthma attacks and allergy symp- toms. We are grateful for the support provided by Johnson Controls to help AAFA with our program- matic work, especially in schools,” he said.
Along with its experience in ventilation, filtra- tion and smart buildings, Johnson Controls has advanced technology and experience with in- door air assessments, including its recently launched partnership with UL and SafeTraces.
"Infrastructure spending in the US for schools has lagged even as about one in 10 students suffers from asthma or allergies, and we know that there is a significant disparity in air quality in low in-
come and city areas where there is also heightened rates of respiratory illness,” Ramaswamy said.
“That makes it so much more critical that we help administrators apply recent infrastructure funding in the most effective way to help provide the best environments for students, teachers and school employees to learn and work.”
Initial work between Johnson Controls and AAFA will include supporting the asthma and allergy community, collaborating on patient ed- ucation and awareness as well as advocacy and public policy initiatives – including those to im- prove air quality in schools.
Further details of the partnership between Johnson Controls and AAFA will be announced ahead of National Asthma and Allergy Aware- ness Month in May 2022.
LEFT: Australia’s asthma mortality rates are high by international comparison.
ABOVE LEFT: National Asthma Council Australia spokesperson, Dr Jonathan Burdon.
ABOVE RIGHT: Johnson Controls president of global services,
Ganesh Ramaswamy.
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS FEBRUARY 2022
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